Yesterday, UKIE - the only trade body for the UK games sector - hosted its largest ever Westminster Political Reception in partnership with Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft.
Held at Millbank Tower, the event was attended by more than 200 members of the organization, along with MPs, peers, policy makers and a large host of industry figures from a variety of creative sectors. The reception allowed them to announce a range of policy recommendations and celebrate the cultural and economic importance of the industry, as well as let them launch the new Ukie policy manifesto for the next Parliament. The manifesto outlines initial plans for furthering the growth of the UK games industry, following the introduction of tax breaks earlier this year and the introduction of the new Computing curriculum earlier this week, which will see students of all ages learning computer coding.
The manifesto itself highlights three areas of policy support:
- Support to help UK games companies grow across the UK
Ukie are calling for help with regulatory stability, a better infrastructure and a long-term plan which will allow games businesses to access public funding and support which matches that of other screen industries. - Promotion of the UK games industry abroad
The UK is one of the leading video game industries in the world and Ukie believes that that should be demonstrated, with a focus on funding, with the Government fully supporting and working with the industry on trade and investment activity - such as trade missions - and helping UK businesses to gather an audience overseas. - Building a strong and diverse talent pipeline
With the announcement of the new Computing curriculum, Ukie is calling for support in the area, an investment in career guidance for the industry and a permanent extension in the Skills Investment Fund.
The reception also heard from MP Justin Tomlinson - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ed Vaizey (a role which involves a lot more than simply answering the phones and typing up letters) - on the work that the coalition government has done to support the UK games sector. He said: “The UK games industry is going from strength to strength, recovering some of the ground lost to other countries over the last few years. This growth has been helped very much by the hard work put in by Ukie and the major policy initiatives introduced by this government, such as a new computing curriculum and the recent introduction of production tax relief. However, more can of course be done and in my new role working closely with Ed Vaizey. I very much welcome Ukie’s new Policy Manifesto and look forward to discussing its recommendations with Jo and her team in more detail over the coming months.”
Guests also heard from Dr. Jo Twist, the CEO of Ukie and Roy Stackhouse, General Manager for Activision Blizzard UK and Ireland, who discussed Ukie’s manifesto proposals and the strength of the UK as a place to make games. “We were delighted by the introduction of games industry tax relief earlier this year,” Twist said, “but quickly realized that it is essential that we maximize the opportunities that the new scheme presents. We have therefore spent the last six months speaking to our members from across the breadth of our sector about the measures that they would like to see the UK government introduce to truly put the UK’s games industry on the global map. Our Policy Manifesto outlines our members priority asks and we will be following this up with more detailed papers and briefings to MPs to continue our push to make this the best country in the world to make and sell games.”
“Events like these are vital in showing the significance of the UK games industry, both culturally and economically, to a high profile audience of policy makers and other VIPs,” said UK MD of Ubisoft, Rob Cooper. “We are delighted to support this year’s event and Ukie’s work generally in giving a voice to UK games businesses of all sizes from multinationals like Ubisoft, to smaller developers, making and selling some of the most vibrantly creative interactive entertainment in the world.”
Guests at the reception also had a chance to play some of Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft’s latest titles, including Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Just Dance 2014, Diablo III and Skylanders: Trap Team. Charity Special Effect - who develop technology to help young disabled people play games - were also at the event to demonstrate their latest innovations.
It’s been a turbulent few years for the UK games industry, which faced significant pressure due in part to the global economic recession. Many studios shut up shot as a result, while many others simply moved elsewhere to countries offering better tax incentives for companies working in the games industry. These problems were, in part, what led to ongoing calls for the UK government to step up its support for the game sector. After years of wrangling, a raft of measures were subsequently approved by the EU in March of this year, though as of yet it’s not known exactly how far-reaching the support will be.
To read further into Ukie’s policy manifesto, follow the link here.
